MAJA HERMAN SEKULIĆ

 

MAJA HERMAN SEKULIĆ

 

Bossa Nova

 

My diary ended suddenly

When, remember, the rain fell

Over Ipanema

And in our eyes we still held

Turquoise, tourmaline and topaz sparks

From the shiny lapidarium

And my straight hair curled up

But not from the eternal humidity

It spoke for me

It is important to stay silent about the most precious moment

We were in search of bossa nova

While in the streets police patrols were killing boys

And the enormous Christ was constantly pointing his finger

From Corcovado

the huge shadow of his broad shoulders

covering coffee plantations in the Tijuca jungles –

it was necessary to survive the eternity of the rain forest

to accept the truth of Nature

We were in search of bossa nova

While next to us long-legged mulattas where for sale

And everybody looked too joyful

Incessantly

On the verge of sickness

While dancing samba

Under the elaborate masques of the sweaty carnival

And we just found out that carioca means a white man’s house

And that there are more lights from favelas than there are stars

And that we sailed north on the boat

To arrive to the South

To clear bays of the dark island

Into blue veins of a giant who, they say, is awakening

But I know is still in deep sleep

And that in his dream realm

cannot be more calm

Than that rain over Ipanema

While pocking dots in the beach sand

And leaving teardrops

in my diary

Copyright@Maja Herman Sekulic

 

Notes Toward A Ballad

 

The August sun is intense, I undress

On the beach, sand in my toes

I hold sunrays in my hair.

I take refuge in a café

On the nameless street

Tired of the heat

White wine goes green in my glass

Sun still fire in the sky.

No shade, no break,

His eyes dance on me,

They burn my skin

I accept the figs he gives me

They are too soft.

The coffee is too strong.

And the sun doesn't give up.

And he does not give up.

And now I lie awake pretending

That he lies awake

And that the whole world is awake

As we were then

In that summer heat

In that café

Without a break.

Copyright@Maja Herman Sekulic

 

Reason For The Rain

 

There was all this talk about Boticelli.

There was all this wine in our veins.

There was all this rain.

And all those people coming and going

Through my brain

Dancing on the ferry to another shore

Changes of scenery, of geography

Changes of heart

And there was this wall between words,

Erected with pain.

Will this rain ever stop?

Will the summertime

Open a window

And let the sun shine

From inside

Through my eyes again

After all these years

Of waltzing all alone

All by myself

Amidst the crowds?

Copyright@Maja Herman Sekulic

 

MAJA HERMAN SEKULIĆ

 

MAJA HERMAN-SEKULIĆ: (Serbia/USA) is an internationally published Serbian-American author of 23 books in Serbian, English German and French; her poems were translated in 25 languages. Of her poetry, Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky said: “her poetry is of the rarest talent and beauty as she is herself”. Maja is an acclaimed and award nominated poet, novelist, essayist, bilingual scholar, and a major translator. Her last book is a novel “NINE LIVES OF MILENA Pavlovic Barillli” published first in Serbia by Barilli Foundation in June 2021. Most recently she was anointed by the UN World Literary Forum their ”International Ambassador of Peace”, by the Galaxy International Foundation and Academy and the World Literature, India, their “Ambassador of Culture and Good Will”, by Global Literary Society their Adminstrator and unique “Global Poetry Icon” and the “Icon of Style of Serbia in last 2 centuries”. In last 3 years she was awarded 13 international literary awards in India, Italy, Turkey, US, Russia and Romania, and First Serbian Oscar for popularity. Most recently she won Citta di Galatta – Antioni de Ferraris award for the best poetry book in foreign language that will be awarded in Rome in October 2021.  She is also a world traveller and a Princeton Ph.D.  in Comparative Literature. She is a member of the American and Serbian PEN, American Academy of Poets, Association of writers of Serbia and Serbian Literary Society. She was schooled and lived all over the world from Europe and USA to the Far East, and now shares her time between New York and Belgrade.